Police on the hunt for driver of BMW which ploughed into devotees

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23, 2016:

Police are on the hunt for the driver of a BMW which ploughed into a group of Hindu devotees walking from Senawang to Batu Caves for the Thaipusam celebration this morning.

The driver, Seng Guan Chuan was believed to have hit the group walking along the Seremban-KL Highway near Seri Petaling at 8.30am today.

Kuala Lumpur staff officer for traffic investigation and regulation Deputy Superintendent Markandan Subramaniam said the car was found abandoned along the Kesas Highway.

“Initial probe revealed that the car belongs to a 51-year-old woman from Penang, who is the mother of the driver.

“However when contacted by police, the family refused to cooperate and only divulged the suspect’s name,” Markandan said at a Press conference at the KL Traffic Police headquarters, here, this afternoon.

Three of the devotees died as a result of the accident, while three more are in critical condition and receiving treatment at the hospital.

According to Markandan, the devotees were walking along the emergency lane of the highway against traffic.

The driver of the BMW is believed to have lost control before hitting the devotees.

“It is believed that the group walking against traffic flow were flung as a result of the strong impact from being hit by the car.

“There are no CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras in the area which has made investigations tough. However, after checking on the suspect’s identity, no known criminal records were found,” he added.